The present invention relates generally to a housing including a base and a cover, and more particularly to a housing for enclosing computer components. The housing is of a design that minimizes the need for threaded fasteners, and preferably includes a base, a cover, a plurality of dimples and a plurality of projections positioned on the base and the cover. The dimples and projections are arranged to mate with each other to aid in securing the cover and the base together. The preferred embodiment further includes a hinge-type arrangement for connecting the fronts of the base and the cover, and apertures for making several threaded connections on the rear surfaces of the base and the cover. Preferably, the only threaded connections used to secure the base and the cover together are those located on the rear surfaces.
Various forms of housings for computer components are known in the art. One common problem with many known housing configurations is that in order to properly secure the base to the cover, a relatively large number of screws are often required. Each of these screws takes a certain amount of time to be inserted and tightened. Moreover, these screws are often arranged on all four sides of the housing. Thus, additional assembly time is required in order to rotate the housing so that an operator can insert and tighten the screws, or additional machinery is required if the screws on all sides of the housing are tightened through the use of automated assembly machines that are capable of tightening the screws on all sides of the housing simultaneously.
Elimination of some of the screws allows for a cost savings, which is due in part to the cost of the screws, but is also due to savings resulting from the assembly process. In particular, labor costs and/or automated machinery costs may be reduced through the use of less screws, particularly if the remaining screws are all located on a single face of the housing. However, the elimination of screws may result in inadequate attachment of the cover to the base. Accordingly, in order to realize a cost savings from the elimination of screws, an alternate means of securing the cover and the base together must be devised, and this alternate securing means must adequately secure the two components together, as well as being more economical than the screws it is replacing.
In addition to the securing function, the screws also perform a function related to electromagnetic noise. The computer components located within a computer housing typically generate electromagnetic waves that escape from the housing, creating electromagnetic noise for other electronic components in the vicinity. Because the screws used to secure the components of the housing together disturb these electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic noise is reduced by the presence of the screws. Thus, simply eliminating screws from the assembly process may result in the creation of unwanted electromagnetic noise, unless other measures are taken to reduce such noise. Accordingly, any alternate securing means preferably also performs the function of minimizing the electromagnetic noise emanating from the housing.
An additional problem associated with many of the currently available computer housings relates to the alignment of the cover with the base. Additional time is often required to align these two components together so that the screw holes properly align with each other. Thus, in addition to the features discussed above, any improved housing configuration also preferably aids in the alignment of the cover with the base during assembly.
Accordingly, one object of the present invention is to provide an improved housing for computer components which is of a design that allows for a simplified assembly process.
A second object of the present invention is to provide an improved housing in which the assembly costs are reduced when compared to traditional designs.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved housing in which the number of screws required for affixing the cover to the base is reduced, while still maintaining a secure connection between these two components.
An additional object of the present invention is to provide an improved housing of a design that facilitates alignment of the cover with the base.
A fifth object of the present invention is to provide a housing for computer components in which electronic noise emitted from the housing is reduced, even without relying upon screws for connecting the sides of the cover to the sides of the base.
A sixth object of the present invention is to provide a housing assembly that includes a series of mating dimples and projections for aiding in the attachment of the cover to the base.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a housing assembly in which a hinge-type connection is used to facilitate the alignment of the cover with the base.
These and other objects of the present invention are discussed or will be apparent from the following description of the present invention.
The above-listed objects are met or exceeded by the present housing, which features a base and a cover. The base preferably includes a series of dimples on its sides, and the cover preferably includes a series of projections that are aligned to mate with the dimples on the base in order to aid in securing the cover to the base. Alternately, the cover may include the dimples and the base may include the projections. In addition to the securing function, the dimples and projections also serve to disturb the electromagnetic waves emitted from the components located within the housing, so that the electromagnetic noise emitted from the housing is reduced.
The front surfaces of the base and the cover are preferably linked together by a hinge-type connection formed by interlocking tabs located on both surfaces. This hinge-type connection facilitates the alignment of the cover with the base, so that the when the cover is closed upon the base, the dimples/projections are aligned to mate with each other.
More specifically, the present invention provides a housing for computer components that includes a base with at least a first section and a second section, and a cover with at least a third section and a fourth section. The third section of the cover is configured and arranged to face the first section of the base, and the fourth section of the cover is configured and arranged to face the second section of the base. The housing also includes a plurality of dimples and a plurality of projections corresponding to the dimples. The dimples and the projections are configured and arranged to mate with each other to aid in securing the cover to the base.
Even more specifically, the present invention provides a housing for computer components that includes a base with at least a generally horizontally-extending bottom section, a first section extending upwardly in a generally vertical manner from a first edge of the bottom section, a second section extending upwardly in a generally vertical manner from a second edge of the bottom section, and a front section extending upwardly in a generally vertical manner from a bottom front edge of the bottom section. The bottom front edge preferably connects the first edge with the second edge.
The present invention of this embodiment also includes a cover with at least a generally horizontally-extending top section, a third section extending downwardly in a generally vertical manner from a third edge of the top section, a fourth section extending downwardly in a generally vertical manner from a fourth edge of the top section, and a top front edge connecting the third edge with the fourth edge.
In this configuration, the present housing may also include a plurality of dimples located on interior surfaces of the first and second sections of the base, and a plurality of projections located on exterior surfaces of the third and fourth sections of the cover. The projections on the cover are configured and arranged to mate with the dimples on the base to aid in securing the cover to the base, as well as to disturb the flow of electromagnetic waves passing from the interior of the housing to the exterior of the housing.
Additionally provided in this embodiment are a plurality of first tabs located on the front section of the base, and a plurality of second tabs located on the front edge of the cover. The first tabs and the second tabs are configured and arranged to cooperate with each other to form a hinge-type connection between the base and the cover.